Improvement in skirt-elevators



A A. CAMPBELL. Skirt-Elevators.

- No. 217,334. Patented Ju|y 8-,187 9.

N. PEIERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER, WASHlNGTD N DV 6.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAHAM A. CAMPBELL, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

. lMPROVEMENTlN SKI RT-ELEVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,334, dated July 8, 1879; application filed December 12, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAMA. CAMPBELL, 721 Sixth street, north-west, of city of Washington, in the county of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirt-Elevators and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention is for the purpose of securing a dress-skirt around the waist in an easy and quick manner, and to preserve the skirt-band from being torn out, as with common or ordinary fastenin gs also to enable alady to raise or lower her skirt instantaneously at her will. The corresponding letters of reference in the various figures refer to the same parts.

Figure 1 represents the different parts as they appear when supporting a dress-skirt.

Gr, Fig. 1, a skirt-clasp 5 G, Fig. 3, a reverse View of the same. It is made of two metallic plates, A. The tongue or hook plate is formed with two projecting shoulders, 0 0, to the body, for the purpose of supporting the plate firmly in its position, preventing twisting or turning when in use, and having a tongue, w, bent back nearly to the body of the plate, forming a hook, for the purpose of clasping the plate B. a a are holes for the purpose of fastening the plate, by sewing, upon the upper or outer end of the skirt-band.

The loop-plate B, Figs. 1 and 3, is formed as a strap, with projecting shoulders 10 10, and is bent upward at the shoulders 10 p to admit of the hook on passing underneath, between it and the skirt-band. The shoulders 12 1) project beyond and at right angles with the sides of the strap, to give support to the loop and prevent twisting or turning when in use.

b b are holes to fasten the plate, by sewing, upon the lower or nether end of the skirt-band. The lower shoulder, 10, is elongated and bent in a curve outward and downward, for the purpose of supporting the eye (1 in a pendent position. The eye cl is an ovatedeye, with an opening in the upper part to allow it to 7 pass through the hole a in the elongation, and is secured by closing the opening in the eye and brazing, the eye being for the purpose of carrying the drawing-cord O of the elevator.

The eye d may be made of the same piece as the elongation, and a part thereof by continuing the elongation of shoulder p into a narrow strip or needle, and turning or bending it up to the plate, thus forming an eye for the same purpose.

F, Fig. 1, represents a front view of a spring clamp-pin; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the same, showing the difierent parts, all of which' are of metal. The faceplate i is made of spring metal, having a slot, 1", cut lengthwise through the center of the plate, and is secured to the back plate, n, at the end in which the eye I is made, fitting the slot 1" over the safety-pin is.

n is the back plate, having a hole, 1;, near one end, throughwhich the safety-pin k is passed from the lower or back side to the front, and is tapered and bent at one end to conform to the bend of the safety-pin k, which passes over the center of the plate from the hole 0) to the tapered and bent end, passing over it, and back underneath beyond the catch 8, in which positionit is brazed to the plate a. l is an eye made in the plates 13 and n, to receive and retain the hook h, as shown in Fig. 1.

Plate i forms'the upper jaw, n and k the lower jaw, of a spring-snatch clamp, in which the pin 76 and slot r throw the cord 0, which it is intended to secure or fasten, out of a direct line in passing between the jaws, and acts as a brake to prevent the cord from being drawn through by the weight of the skirt. This spring-snatch clamp-pin may be made, and I prefer to make it, with corrugated grooves in lieu of the slot 1' and top part of safety-pin 7c.

The top or face plate, t, being an article of ornament as well as of utility, may be made in various designs.

g g g g g g are metallic rings, to be sewed on the under part of the skirt, near the bottom, or at such points as the wearer may de sire to have the skirt elevated from. E E E E E E are carrying-cords of cotton, hemp, or other suitable material, the lower ends of whlch are made fast to the rings g g g g g g. The

other ends are tied to the buckle f, as shown in Fig. 1.

D is a regulating-strap, of narrow webbing, with a buckle, f, on the lower end, the upper end being secured to the loop-eye c, for the purpose of regulating the height of the elevation of the skirt, expressly adapted to wet or slushy weather. 6 is a metallic loop-eye, for the purpose of connecting the strap D with the cord 0.

O is a drawing-cord, of suitable material to correspond with the material of the dressskirt, having a metallic hook, h, on one end to catch in the eye Z in the clamp-pin F, for the purpose of retaining the cord 0 in a convenient position to be handled by the wearer, the other end passing through the placket of the skirt and eye d down to and secured to the loop-eye e by tying.

The drawing-cord O, passing through the placket and eye 11, connecting with the loopeye 0, regulating-strap D, carrying-cords E E E E E E, and rings g g g g g 9, together with the spring-snatch clamp-pin F, form a skirtelevator by which the skirt may be elevated with great facility.

Fig. 2 is a metallic double eye, formed of one loop-eye, t, and one round eye, at, at right angles with, and the outer edge parallel with, the loop-eye it, so as to present the eye to edgewise to the body and skirt, for use upon skirts with a side or hip placket, and applied by sewin g upon the skirt-band at and over the spinal column, with the eye a outward from the body, and it acts in lieu of eye d in receiving the drawing-cord O in passing upward from eye 0, O passing through the eyes a and d outward through the placket.

The clasp and elevator are applied as follows:

First, sew the clasp on the skirtbandplate A on the outer or upper end, plate 13 on the lower or nether end.

Second, put the skirt on and clasp it around the waist; loop up the skirt with pins, using as many pins as there are carrying-cords, raising the skirt about two inches off the floor, forming the loops as,fancy may dictate. The pins are the points at which the rings g g g g g g are to be sewed onto the skirt.

' Third, remove the skirt, turn it inside out,

w and sew the rings g g g g g g on at the points of the skirt where the pins are nearest the bottom, sewing them on just below the pins; pass the hook h through the eye (I outward througlf the placket of the skirt.

Fourth, put the skirt on inside out, and clasp it around the waist; place the springsnatch clamp pin in the front part of the waist or body; draw the cord 0 until the two points.

eyes d and e are together; pass the cord under the clamp-spring in an upward direction, pulling it slightly back, where it will be firmly held; tie the carrying-cords E E E E E E to the rings 9 g g g g {1, commencing with those nearest the center and tying alternately right and left, drawing the cords taut and all of an even tension without raising the rings from their position. i

Fifth, remove the dress-skirt, turn and take out the pins from the loops, when the skirt is ready to be worn.

Sixth, to wear it, place. the skirt on as usual, with the strap D and carrying-cords E E E, &c., behind the body; place the springsnatch clamp-pin at a convenient point in front or side, with mouth of the jaw to the front; draw the cord 0 from the eye cl outward through the placket around the waist to the front, catching the hook it in the eye' I in clamppin F.

To operate, draw the cord 0 up until its progress is stopped by eye 6 coming in contact with eye (I, when the skirt will be raised to the same height at which it was looped with the pins, and the loops or folds will be at the same The skirt can be retained in this position by passing the cord 0 under the spring of the clamp-pin in an upward direction, drawing it slightly back against the spring, where it will be held by the action of the spring until it is released, to allow the dress-skirt to fall to the floor again.

I make no claim to the buckle f, nor to the safety-pin as a'mode of securing the snatch clamp-pin to the fabric of the dress.

I claim as my invention- 1. The clasp Gr, composed of the hook A and plate B, having the shoulders p 1;, loop d, and perforations a a b b, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The spring-clamp F, composed of the plates t and a, pin 7c, and catch 8, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The cord C, hook h, ovated eye d, regulating-strap D, and carrying-cords E E E E E E, all acting in conj unetion, forming an elevator, for the purpose of elevating or raising a ladys skirt, as fully shown and described in the accompanying drawings and specification.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABRAHAM A. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses SAMUEL G. RAUB, WILLIAM W. WONN. 

